Maryland, Virginia Partner on Racing Day
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Photo: Tom LaMarra
Turf racing at Pimlico
A cooperative effort between Maryland and Virginia racing and breeding stakeholders will expand this year beginning June 25 at Pimlico Race Course.
With Virginia attempting to rebuild its racing industry in the wake of the closure of Colonial Downs and a network of off-track betting parlors around the state, Virginia-bred horses need a place to race. Virginia-bred stakes have been held at Laurel Park in September the last two years, but now Pimlico is in the mix in the summer.
The Virginia Equine Alliance is calling the June 25 program "Mid-Atlantic Day," which will include three stakes and two maiden special weight events restricted to Virginia-breds. There also will be two stakes for registered Maryland-breds.
The three $60,000 stakes for Virginia-bred or Virginia-sired horses are the Nellie Mae Cox for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on the turf, Edward P. Evans for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on grass, and White Oak Farm, for 3-year-olds and up at five furlongs on turf. The two maiden events, one for females and one for males, each have a $30,000 purse and will be run at five furlongs on the grass.
Maryland-breds will compete in the $75,000 All Brandy Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the turf and the $75,000 Find Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles on the turf. There also are two $35,000 Maryland-bred or -sired allowance events, one for males and the other for females, and 1 1/16 miles on grass.
The regular Virginia-bred stakes day featuring five $60,000 stakes is penciled in for Sept. 24 at Laurel.
The VEA also announced that beginning July 1, registered Virginia-breds that win overnight races in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia will receive a 25% bonus on top of purse earnings, with a $10,000 cap on any award. The program will continue through 2016.
In Virginia, limited flat and steeplechase racing is being offered at Great Meadow, with plans to convert Morven Park near Leesburg into a pari-mutuel racing facility. On the Standardbred side, the Shenandoah County Fairgrounds will offer pari-mutuel harness racing each weekend from Sept. 10-Oct. 9.